Photographic-print washer.



D. C. MCGANDLESS.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT WASHER.

APPLICATION FILED APRI?, 1910.

1,002,418. Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

fie-f.

I HH

D. G. MOGANDLBSS. y PHOTOGRAPHIG PRINT WASHER.

.APPLIUATION YILED APB.. 7, 1910.

Patented V Sept. 5, 1911.

` 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

SIM/ue 11 lo L failed@ wfbbmeowo DAVID CHARLES ivrcoANnLnss, or Bois-E, trarre.

PHoToGnAPHrc-rnrnr WASHER.

Specification of tetters Patent.

Patented sept. 5, 1911.

Application ed April 7, `191. Serial No. 554,0t).

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID CHARLES MC- CANDLESS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boise, in the county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Photographic-Print Washer, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to machines for washing photographie prints, and the object of the invention is toV provide a machine which will b e inexpensive to manufacture and simple in its construction, and by the use of which photographie prints may be thoroughly washed with little or no attenf tion on the part of the operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which will be free of complicated mechanism and in'which the prints may be completely immersed in the bath and kept in motion and separated by the tiow of the water which supplies the bath.

YV ith these objects, and such other incidental objects as may hereinafter appear, in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of an apparatus such as is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, all of which will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings', Figure 1 is a perspective View of a print washer embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof. Figa is a transverse vertical section. Fig. 5 is-a detail perspective view of one of the bearings for the drinn. Fig. C is a detail perspective view of the fastening for the door of the drinn.

ln carrying out my invention, l employ a tank l having a semi-circular bottom 2 provided with a base or support 3, the lower edge or bottom of'whieh is flat so that the tank may be set within a sink or tub and be supported therein without any liability tobe upset. To one side, ot' the tank l secure a supply pipe 4 adapted to be attached to a hose or other connection fit-ted to a faucet whereby water may be supplied from the water service pipes of the buildingto the said supply pipe, the lower end of which is carried transversely through the base il. as shown at 5, and provided with a series of nozzles (i disposed longitudinally of the tank and openingl into the bottom of the tank at an angle to the radius of the-same. rlhe tank is also provided on one side at its loW- andare offset fromthe tank at their upperends,

thereby providing overflow openings .10 through which the water rising through the ducts may escape. Communication between the interior of the tank and the said ducts is established through openings 11 in the sides of the tank, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, the said openings being' located below the bearings 12 which consist of groovedbrackets providedvat their upper ends with lips 18 adapted to engage the upper beaded edgev of the tank and thereby suspend the bearings, as will be readily understood on reference to Figs. t and 5. These bearings or ,brackets are preferably soldered or otheravise rigidly secured to-the tank so as t0 prevent them from shifting thereon, and their lower ends are closed, as indicated at 14, so as to provide support-s for the trunnions 15 projecting centrally from the sides 16 of a drum 17 adapted to revolve on t-he said bearings within the tank and to hold the prints to be washed.

lar material and a cylinder 18 of wire netting or other reticulated fabric secured to and extending between` the circularside plates. The side plates are provided-With perforations 1S) whereby a thorough circulation of the water is permitted and also the adhering of the prints to the side plates is prevented. The cylindrical body 18 has a door 20 which is of a similar construction to the main portion'of the body and is hinged at one side ofthe vdoor opening, asshown at 21, and is provided at its free edge with slotted keepers or latch plates 2Q adapted to engage over headed lugs or hooks Q3 projecting from the corresponding edge of the door opening whereby the door may be held elosed after the prints have been placed within the drinn. The door being constructed of retieulated fabric` will be su'i.- eientlylelastie to permit. the latch plates Q2 to be diva\\'n"over the hooks or headed lugs This drinn consists of' .circular side plates 16 of sheet metal or simi- 23, wlieeupon the tension of the. body of 4 the drum and of the doorgwill draw` the saidk platesunder the projecting portion -of the 1 ads of the said lugs so that the doorwill be firmly held in its closed position.y

The construction and arrangement of the seeral parts of my machine beingv thus made known, it is thought the operation and y l advantages of the same .will be readily unl the drum is permitted to drop or be lowered until the trunnions 15 rest on the ledges or lips 14 at the lower ends of the said brackets, whereupon the drum will be supported freely within the tank with its body disposed concentric with the cved bottom of the tank. The water is then turned onAso as to flow through the supply pipe and will emerge from the nozzles 6 with considerable force so as to strike agaihst the' drum in al plane substantially tangential thereto and flow against the curved bottom of the tank so as t-o rise therein and follow the side of the same, as indicated by the varrows in Fig. 3, the force of the water causing the drum to revolve. Asthe water rises within the tank,

it will tlow through the openings 11 into the' overflow. duets 5) and will then continue to vrise until it -reaches the water-line indicated by the dotted line Q4 in Fig.v 3, which is determined by the position of the upper i ends of the said overflow ducts and is located below the highest point of the drum, as will be readily understood. I rlhe water continui ing to flow into the tank will escape from the upper ends of the overflow ducts S) and pass into the sink or tub in which vthe tank is placed and then\pass ,otl' through the usual waste pipe connections.

It will be observed that no attention on the part of the operator is required in the washing of 'the prints, inasmuch as the prints will naturally gravitate to the bottom of the drum when placed therein and the water flowing from the nozzle 6 will consequently strike against the prints and drive them against the side of the drum so that the force .of the inflowing water will impart a rotary motion to the drum. The prints will thereupon be separated and will follow the course of the water so as to be thoroughly and rapidly washed. As the prints rise with vthe water and reach the surface of the same, they will float across the drum from the one side to the other along the water-line and will consequently be prevented from adhering to the side of the'drum to such4 an extent as will prevent the Waters-caching every point ot' their surfaces or tovhold the prints to each other, as will be understood.

The water will, of course, pass upward on the outer side plates of the drum, as will be readily understood on reference to Fi g. 4, and will flow through the perforations in the said side plates so as to carry the prints away from-'the said side plates and prevent y.the adhering of the prmts thereto. The

prints may be left in the-drum Afor any desired length of time and during that time the'operator may perform such other duties as may be required of him without any necessity of watching the progress of the washing or the condition of the prints. The drum will, by its rotation, keep the prints thoroughly agitated so that uneven washing of the prints will be avoided and will accommodate prints of any size or weight. The drum serves to hold the prints directly in the path of the flowing water and will thereby keep the prints. made on" heavy paper separated so that they will be conipletely washed, and when prints on light paper are being treated, theforce of the water will be found sutlicientto keep the prints separated and the drum may be dispensed with.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, t-he advanta es of the construction and of the method o operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together witlrthedeviee which 1 now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, l desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A photographic print washer, comprising a suitable tank, a drum for receiving the prints to be washed and mounted for rotation in said tank, said drum having passages through its peripheral walls, and means for causing a flow o'f water against the peripheral walls of the drnln and through the passages therein to the interior of the drum in a direction to impart rotative movement to the drum and to agitato the prints.

2. A photographic print washer comprising a suitable tank, a rotatable drum therein havin reticulated walls, and means for introducing water intothe lower art of the tank exterior to the drum in a direction .to impinge upon the reticulated walls of the drum to impart rotative movement to therdrum and also to pass to the interior thereof.

3. A photographic print washer comprising a suitable tank, a rotatable drum proticulated peripheral Walls and with end walls with passages therethrough, andv means within the tank and exterior yto the drum for directing water against the iteripheral Wallsof the drum to impart rotative movement thereto and to enter the drum to agitate prints therein.

5. The'combination of a tank, grooved brackets secured to the opposite sides of thge tank and having inwardly-extendin lips at their lower ends, a drum provide with trunnions engaging the said' brackets *and resting on said lips, said drum consisting of perforated side plates 'land a reticulated cylindrical body extending between the said side plates, and a series of water-supplying nozzles entering the bottom of the tank at an angle to the radius of the drum.

6. The combination of a tank, a reticulated drum rotatably mounted therein' and adapted to contain photographic prints, a serios of water-supplying nozzles entering the bottom of the tank at an angle tothe radius of the drum, and overiow ducts on the sides of the tank communicating with the interior thereof and having their upper ends disposed below thehighest polnt of the drum."

7 In a print washer, a rotatable receptacle for prints, and water directing means positioned to cause streams of Water to impinge upon and pass through the print confining walls of .the print receptacle to impart rotative motion thereto and to engage the prints within the receptacle.

8. A print washer comprising 'a suitable receptacle, a rotatable print holder therein vtherein to Ithe interior thereof. 9. A print Washer comprising a tank having a curved bottom and a supporting flange below said curved bottom, a rotatable drum provided with peripheral walls having numerous passages therethrough, and a plurality of nozzles arranged in a series, which series extends in the same direction as the axis of rotation of the print receptacle, said nozzles being positioned to direct streams ofv Water against the lower portion of the rotatable member and through the passages ounted in said tank and having its peripheral Walls provided with numerous passages, and a supply pipe extending `through the supporting fiange and provided with a series of nozzles opening through the bottom of the tank and positioned to direct streams v of water against the outer walls of the drum to `rotate t-he latter and iow through the passages in said outer walls. l

1Q. A print Washer comprising a'tank, a print receiving drum therein having the peripheral' and end -Walls provided with numerous passages -for Water, escape passages in the tank adjacent` the endwalls of the drum, and a water directing means eX- -tending across the bottom of the tank in substantial parallelism with the axisof rotation of the drum and ypositioned to cause water to impinge the peripheral wall of the drum torotate the latter and cause an inflow of water to the interior of the drum. A

11. A photographic print washer com prising a tank, a rotatable drum therein, and

a supply pipe for Water having outlets ar.

ranged in a series extending in the same direction as the axis of rotation of the drum, said outlets being positioned to direct a plurality of streams of water into approximatelyntangential relation to the outer surface Aofthe drum.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two'witnesses..

DAVID CHARLES MCCANDLESS. Witnesses:

A. H. BRICKENSTEIN, R. E. BoYCE. 

